# Georges Bachaalany

Georges Bachaalany was a Lebanese poet, philosopher, journalist, and politician.

## Biography

Georges Bachaalany (Arabic: ﺟﻮﺭﺝ ﺑﺸﻌﻼﻧﻲ) was born on March 25, 1894 in the town of Salima (Lebanon) and passed away on August 25, 1935 in Hasroun (Northern Lebanon).
His paternal grandfather, Geryes Maroun Bachaalany (Georges Maroun Bachaalany), once possessed great wealth but lost it in the silk trade. His father, the Zajal poet Assaad Geryes Maroun Bachaalany (Georges Maroun Bachaalany) from Salima, was nicknamed "The Philosopher of Zajal." His mother, Maryam Abu Jaoudeh, was from Falougha.
Fearing the war, Assaad Maroun and his wife fled to Brazil, leaving their only son, Georges, who was two years old, in the care of his paternal grandmother and aunt, who worked in a silk workshop. After some time, the father requested his son's presence, but the grandmother and aunt refused, fearing Asaad would never return to Lebanon. Assaad was heartbroken in exile and passed away.
George's mother later remarried a man from the Baaklini family of Bzebdine and immigrated to Brooklyn, USA, when Georges was around seven or eight years old. She sent for him, but he refused to join her, feeling abandoned for years. She had two daughters and two sons from her second marriage, whom Georges never met.
He joined the "Lourdes School" in Salima at the age of ten under Father Antoine Al-Asmar, where he excelled academically, skipping five grade levels in his first year and earning an honor certificate. While still in secondary school, he was appointed a primary school teacher.
At the same time, he wrote plays for the school, including "The Three Boys in the Furnace of Babylon", Alexander in Jerusalem, and Cleopatra.
His grandmother and aunt decided he should learn blacksmithing, so he apprenticed with Boutros Abu Asli for two years. After crafting a sickle and an axe, he presented them to his grandmother and aunt, saying, "I have learned the trade; now let me pursue what I love."
He longed to attend the Capuchin Fathers' School in the Serail-Salima, watching students go there daily. Eventually, he was admitted. Two years later, at a school ceremony, he recited his first poem, revealing his deep love for poetry.

## The Founding of "Lebanon Grand School" – 1919

After Hammana, he taught for six years at the National School in Baabdat, owned by Naeem Sawaya. After three years, Sawaya was appointed governor of the Beqaa and entrusted George with managing the school. Another three years later, a conflict arose between George and Sawaya’s wife (Melia, sister of Emile Lahoud), leading him to leave the school.
During his tenure in Baabdat, George was appointed editor-in-chief of Sada Al-Wataniya magazine. After leaving Hammana, he edited Al-Rawda newspaper for six months in Beirut, during which he was also appointed secretary of the University of Lebanon Grand and a translator. This university played a major role in advocating for Greater Lebanon and the French Mandate.
Meanwhile, the people of Salima elected him as mayor of the town.
When the Mandate was established, Georges decided to open his own school. The challenge was securing funding and a suitable location. Around the same time, Joseph Zaghloul and two brothers from the Al-Sayegh family returned from Brazil and began building homes in Salima. They built two identical houses, but Zaghloul soon returned to Brazil, leaving both houses locked for two or three years. Georges had married Nabiha Sheiban when he was 20 and she was 16. Nabiha suggested, "Let's buy one of the houses," and they did so in installments.
In 1919, Georges Bachaalany founded a boarding and day school for boys, naming it The Greater Lebanon School. It was the first school of its kind in the Metn region, offering education at an advanced level. The school's languages were Arabic and French, and it included sports competitions that were considered progressive for that era. It also hosted public speaking events, poetry recitals, and theatrical performances, many of which were written by Georges himself, including Fakhr al-Din Al-Ma'ani and Salah al-Din Al-Ayyubi.
As the school's reputation grew, so did its student body. Georges rented additional houses in the village from the Abdullah and Youssef Mitri families to accommodate students.
The school attracted students from Lebanon (Dleibe, Hasbaya, Bzebdine, Ras El-Metn, etc.) as well as Druze students from Hauran. By 1935, there were 485 boarding students. Georges taught personally, assisted by teachers from Frères School and others, including Elias Freiha and Elias Abu Jaoudeh.
The school operated year-round, observing only holiday and summer breaks.

## Death and Legacy

On August 25, 1935, at a ceremony unveiling the statue of Archbishop Paul Aouad in Hasroun, attended by French dignitaries, poets, and public figures, Georges Bachaalany delivered a poem that concluded the event. Deeply moved during his recitation, he collapsed and died on his way back to Salima.
His last verse was:
"I lived propelled by its wings, and I shall die carried by its faith."
"فحييتُ مندفعًا على أكنافه وأموت محمولاً على إيمانه"
After his death, his eldest son, Emile, managed the school for four years until 1939 or 1940, at the outbreak of World War II, when he was only 17. After the war, George’s second son, Alfred, reopened the school for another four years but only as a day school. He later closed it permanently around 1948 when he joined the police force.
His family consisted of eight sons and four daughters. He had decided that all his children’s names should start with the letter "A" in Arabic so he named them Emile, Asaad, Alfred, Edmond, Emily, Antoine, Albert, Antoinette, Angel, Edward, Elie, and Evelyn.
(The last one, Evelyn, passed away before reaching forty days old, just forty days before her father’s death.)

## His Works

He published a poetry collection titled "Songs of the Gods" (1948). He also authored a collection of hymns titled "National Hymns."
He wrote several plays, including: "The Three Boys in the Furnace of Babylon", "Alexander in Jerusalem", "Cleopatra", "For the Sake of the Crown", He also wrote a philosophical book titled "Opinions on Philosophy."
He authored several educational books on history, geography, and arithmetic. Additionally, he wrote a poetic prose novel titled "Prince Fakhr al-Din al-Ma'ni II" (1935).
* Scattered Poems
* School Books on History, Geography, Arithmetic, and Translation
* The Three Boys (Play)
* Alexander in Jerusalem (Play)
* Cleopatra (Play)
* For the Sake of the Crown (Translated Play)
* Fakhr al-Din Al-Ma’ani II (Play)
* Philosophical Opinions
* National Anthems
* Songs of the Gods (Poetry Collection)
He wrote several anthems, including "The Anthem of Writers." One of his poems, "Poetry and Poets," is composed in a rhymed and metered structure, with two sections: one defining poetry and the other defining the poet. His poem "Syria, Drenched in Blood" is a nationalist and revolutionary piece. He also wrote a poem about the Titanic disaster, showcasing his talent in descriptive poetry and humanitarian themes.